The use of air bag safety systems is now widespread throughout the automotive industry. Generally, the conventional air bag systems have been effective in limiting damage to vehicular occupants and drivers in most instances of their deployment. Tragically, there have been a few cases where injuries and deaths of children have been caused by the deployment of air bags. There has been a long felt need to eliminate the possibility of these occurrences.
Some conventional air bag systems include occupant sensing circuits. These circuits can be used to inhibit the deployment of a corresponding air bag, or air bags, when a driver or passenger seat is unoccupied. This capability is useful because conventional air bag systems provide for each air bag within a vehicle to be targeted to protect the occupant of a particular and predesignated seat.